12 US 20 A I S P SF U WORLD C OFFICIAl Media Guide March 23 – april 1, 2012 Tucson Trap & Skeet club 7800 W. Old ajo highway visitTucson.org 2012worldcup.tucsontrapandskeet.com (520) 883-6426 | toll free (888) 530-5335 COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. USA Shooting is pleased to introduce the official 2012 Media Guide for the Tucson World Cup. Since participation in the first Olympic Games in 1896, American shooters have won over 100 medals. Though the events have changed over the years, the spirit of the Games remains. The title of the media guide is “Creating Legends on the Road to London” because American shooters have been so successful in the past and the future is equally lustrous. While there are many opportunities to shoot competitively in the United States, USA Shooting offers world-class athletes the opportunity to achieve Olympic and Paralympic dreams. “To me, the concept of wearing the USA on my back in the Paralympic Games in 2012 means that I have found my way through the fear factor. I have found a new sense of self and I have not only leveled the playing field from Special Operations soldier to Paralympic athlete . I have eclipsed all previous expectations of who I wanted to be and created a new pinnacle that exceeded all previous achievements and I did it without the use of my legs,” said 2012 U.S. Paralympic Team nominee Eric Hollen. Hollen is not only a top-notch individual, but also a very talented and hard-working shooter. Holllen was awarded USA Shooting’s 2010 and 2011 Paralympic Athlete of the Year distinction, and most notably, he was recently nominated to the 2012 U.S. Paralympic Team. The National Team, National Development Team, National Junior Team and National Junior Olympic Shotgun Team are replete with talented men and women of varied ages, interests and backgrounds; yet, just like Eric Hollen, they all share one goal . to win gold. This goal will hopefully come to fruition in July of 2012. The 2012 Olympic Games will be contested in London, England. This year brings intense competition and action as spots on the U.S. Olympic Team will be awarded to top competitors at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Airgun, Shotgun and Smallbore. Additionally, USA Shooting Team athletes have had the opportunity to earn points toward an Olympic berth since 2010. The following athletes reached a set point threshold in order to earn a nomination to the 2012 Team: Kim Rhode (El Monte, Calif.), Josh Richmond (Hillsgrove, Pa.), Jamie Gray (Lebanon, Pa.), Matt Emmons (Browns Mills, N.J.) and Eric Uptagrafft(Phenix City, Ala.). Paralympians Eric Hollen (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Josh Olson (Spokane, Wash.) have also satisified selection procedures to earn nominations to the 2012 U.S. Paralympic Team. The 2012 Olympic Team will be announced in mid-June 2012. There is a brief reference guide of the selection procedures and explanation of Olympic quota slots enclosed for a quick reference. To follow the USA Shooting Team on their quest for gold, log on to the website at www.usashooting.org or check for updates via Facebook and Twitter (@USAShooting). Kindly direct all media inquiries to Director of Media & Public Relations, Kevin Neuendorf, at [email protected] or 719.866.4605. World-Class Field to Participate in Tucson World Cup Including 30 of Sport's Elite Shotgun Competitors Final registration numbers have been received and USA Shooting (USAS) is expecting 250-plus shotgun competitors to participate at the upcoming 2012 International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) Shotgun World Cup, March 23-31 in Tucson, Ariz. With many highly-ranked shooters set to descend upon the Arizona desert, including shooters from 42 countries and a strong U.S. squad, the action will be intense as the ISSF kicks off its 2012 World Cup season. The Tucson Trap & Skeet Club, an official USAS Certified Training Center, will stage the event that will serve as one of two final World Cup stops contested prior to the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Shooters will compete in the three different international shotgun events of trap, double trap and skeet. Among the 250-plus competitors expected, 30 athletes rank within the ISSF top-10 in their respective disciplines. Competition in Women's Trap, featuring Olympic bronze medalist Corey Cogdell (Eagle River, Alaska), will be fierce with seven of the ISSF top-10 and five of the top-six finishers from the 2011 World Championships set to participate. In Men's Skeet, reigning Olympic gold medalist Sergeant Vincent Hancock (USAMU/Eatonton, Ga.) will look to re- establish world dominance against a top-notch field featuring seven of the ISSF top-10 and all four top finishers from the 2011 World Championships. In Men's Double Trap, 2008 Olympic gold medalist and current World No.5 Sergeant Glenn Eller (USAMU/Katy, Texas) is aiming to start his year with a World Cup win but will have to hold off a strong contingent of double trap shooters including seven of the ISSF top-10. Eller's Olympic teammate Sergeant Jeff Holguin (USAMU/Yorba Linda, Calif.), a fourth-place finisher in Beijing, is also set to participate as is 2012 U.S. Olympic Team nominee Staff Sergeant Josh Richmond (USAMU/Hillsgrove, Pa.). Also representing the USA will be current Junior World Champion Billy Crawford (Johnstown, Ohio). U.S. competitors in Men's Trap feature Collin Wietfeldt (Hemlock, Mich.), Jake Turner (Richland, Wash.), Dustin Anderson (Woodstock, Ga.) and Ryan Hadden (Pendleton, Ore.). The USA Shooting Team does not have a quota in Men's Trap and will be unable to send a representative to London. However, the field of athletes for Tucson is ripe with talent including six of the ISSF top-10. In Women's Skeet, the U.S. Team is fully armed with Olympic and World Championships medalists ready to defend their home turf. Kim Rhode (El Monte, Calif.) begins her quest for Olympic history in Tucson as the World No.1 ranked skeet shooter. The four-time Olympic medalist has the opportunity to become the first U.S. athlete to win five individual medals in five Olympic Games if she accomplishes the feat yet again in London. Rhode will be joined by Junior World Championships bronze medalist Morgan Craft (Hughesville, Pa.) and fourth-place finisher Brandy Drozd (Bryan, Texas), who also finished second to Rhode at the USA Shooting National Championships. Highlighting the world-class field of shooters are the following: • Australia's Michael Diamond and Russell Mark who have a combined four Olympic and 13 World Championship medals between them in trap and Men's Double Trap • Canadian shooter Susan Nattrass, a six-time Olympian and 14- time World Champs medalist in Women's Trap • Frenchman Stephane Clamens, 2011 World Championships bronze medalist in Men's Trap • German Andreas Loew, a 2011 World Championships silver medalist in Men's Double Trap • Great Britian's Richard Faulds, a 2000 Olympic gold medalist and four-time Olympian in Men's Double Trap • Italy's Daniele Di Spigno, a four-time World Champion in Men's Double Trap • Kuwait's Abdullah Alrashidi, a 2011 World Championships bronze medalist in Men's Skeet • Norway's Tore Brovold, a three-time World Championships medalist and current World No. 1 in Men's Skeet • Slovakia's Danka Bartekova, a five-time World Championships medalist in Women's Skeet and Zuzana Stefecekova, the 2008 Olympic silver medalist and World No. 2 in Women's Trap • Spain's Juan Jose Aramburu, the current World Champion in Men's Skeet • Russia’s Alexey Alipov, a two-time Olympic medalist in Men’s Trap, Svetlana Demina, a 2000 Olympic silver medalist and Four-time Olympic medalistKim Rhode looks to make history eight-time World Championships medalist in Women’s Skeet, in London with five individual medals in five consecutive and Elena Tkach, a 2011 World Championships bronze medalist Olympic Games. in Women’s Trap Tucson Trap & Skeet Club The Tucson Trap and Skeet Club is a 501c3 non-profit organization located at 7800 W. Old Ajo Highway. It has served southern Arizona's shooting sportsman since its original incorporation in 1948 and is also one of the oldest and largest clubs in the nation. The Tucson Trap & Skeet Club has been in its present location, west of historic Tucson, since early 1976 when construction on the 80-acre site was completed. In 2009, the club was named a shotgun Regional Training Center by USA Shooting, which designates it as an area with exceptional facilities, coaches, and competition opportunities. For more information about The Tucson Trap and Skeet Club, please visit their website www. tucsontrapandskeet.com or contact Laura Gormley at 520 883-6426. For USA Shooting media inquiries, please contact Kevin Neuendorf, Director of Media and Public Relations, at 719-866- 4605 or by e-mail at [email protected]. USA Shooting Team Ready to Defend Home-Field Advantage Twenty-three of USA Shooting’s elite shotgun competitors will try to defend their home-field advantage beginning Sunday, March 25, when action in the 2012 International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) Shotgun World Cup gets underway in Tucson, Ariz. USA Shooting (USAS) is expecting more than 250 competitors to participate in the weeklong event. With many highly- ranked shooters set to descend upon the Arizona desert, including shooters from 42 countries and a strong U.S. squad, the action will be intense as the ISSF kicks off its 2012 World Cup season. The Tucson Trap & Skeet Club, an official USAS Certified Training Center, will stage the event that will serve as one of three final World Cup stops contested prior to the 2012 Olympic Games in London.